The present invention relates to an endless metallic belt to be extended between a drive pulley and a driven pulley. The present invention also relates to an element constituting the metallic belt and a process of assembling the same.
There is known a metallic belt used, for example, in an automotive stepless variable speed device, in which a multiplicity of slat-like elements formed by punching a metal plate are layered to be slidable relative to the longitudinal direction of the belt. In this metallic belt, if the elements have corners, the corners of the elements can damage the band when they are brought into contact with it, being causative of breakage of the band.
However, since conventional metallic belt elements are very small and are formed by punching a plate material, it is impossible to subject the elements at the corners to chamfering or other treatments.
Also, since each element is made of a single plate material, the weight of the element cannot be reduced. These elements are circulated along a circular orbit over pulleys of a stepless variable speed device. However, if the element has a great mass, a great centrifugal force acts upon it accordingly. In addition, a great inertia force acts upon the element when a vehicle is accelerated or decelerated. Such excessive centrifugal force and inertia force reduce responsiveness and hinder smooth performance of the stepless variable speed device. Heavy elements cause these problems.
Further, since each element is made of a single plate, it hardly deforms when an execessive load or force acts upon the element when contact with pulleys occurs. Thus an element cannot release the load or force, which causes damage or abnormal abrasion of the elements and pulleys.
The present invention was accomplished in view of the problems inherent in the prior art technique as described above. The object of the present invention is to provide a metallic belt element that can prevent damage and abnormal abrasion in such elements, bands and pulleys and that can operate smoothly in power transmission, a metallic belt and a process of assembling the metallic belt.
In order to attain the above object, in metallic belt element according to a first embodiment of the present invention, the metallic belt elements are supported by an endless metallic band extended between a drive pulley and a driven pulley and are layered in the longitudinal direction of the band. The periphery of the element is made of wire.
In a second embodiment of the present invention includes: a metallic belt having an endless metallic band extending between a drive pulley and a driven pulley; and a multiplicity of elements layered in the longitudinal direction of the band. In the metallic belt, the periphery of the element is formed of wire. The element includes a body, which contacts the pulleys, pillars, which rise from each side of the body, respectively, and a pair of hooked portions, which extends inward from the pillars and oppose each other. The body and the hooked portions define an opening. A stopper is arranged on the band within the opening to prevent the elements from slipping off the band placed in the opening.
The third embodiment of the present invention is a suitable process of assembling a metallic belt. According to this process, an endless belt-like stopper is located on the band. Next, the band is placed in an opening of each metallic belt element with the stopper being flexed laterally. Subsequently, the stopper is returned to a normal planar state to allow it to engage with inner side edges on both sides of the opening of each element, thus attaching the elements to the band.